THE LATE FIRE AT STONY CREEK.

Manawatu Times, Volume III, Issue 32, 5 April 1879, Page 2

THE LATE FIRE AT STONY CREEK.

An inquest into the cause of the late fire, at Stony Creek, which happened on Tiles--day, the 25th March, was held before ' Dr. Rockstrow, Coroner for the District, on Wednesday last, when tha following jurywas sworn m : — P. E. Warburton (foreman), J. T. Dalrvmple, J. Milverton, E. Grammar, L. P. Blix't, J. E. Hanson, E. J. Charles, W. &. Harvey, T, H. Delo, 6. W. Roberts, T. Wi-ay, R. J. King, and J. Beale. ' Mr. Staite watched the proceedings oh behalf of the New Zealand Insurance Com.pany ; and Constable Gillespie on behalf of the ' Police authorities. Mr. Jensen acted as interpreter.*!. The first witness called was Neils Christian Christiansen; who deposed that he was a settler residing' at Stony Creek, and was the owner of the house which had been burnt down. ' Witness was' hot at home when the fire took place,' having left on Monday morning to' go to his work m the bush. The house was insured m the New Zealand Society'. At the' time he' borrowed money from the Building Sdciety, the house was insured. He' did not' know at the time m which offifce," nor' did he know that it had to be insured, until Mr. Pownall asked him for £1 for the premium. The Coroner: What did you think the value of the house was ? '' - "' ' • Mr. Roberts (a juror) interposed that he did not consider the question put by the Coroner a fair one. ; .*. ' . The Coroner said "he was responsible for all questions which he asked. At the same time, he informed the witness that he could refuse to answer any questions which he thought proper, telling him, however, at the suggestion of Mr. Staite, that the jury might put their own construction upon any such refusal. Witness continued : He considered the value of the house about £80 at the time it was insured. None of the agents came to see the .house, at the time it was insured. It was insured entirely by Mir. Pownall, without having previously cpnsulted witness. All the furniture that was m the house was saved. To Mr. Staite : Witness was going to remove the house which ' had been burnt down shortly, and had asked a man named Jorgensen, a carpenter, to' remove it'; but the latter asked hun to waiji until he (the witness) came back from the splitting of the sleepers, ds Jorgensen had not time just then, and the house wouldtake three men three days to shift it. The; furniture was 1 m the house which had been biuht down when he left to go to his work on Monday morning. He -did not tell anybody to remove the furniture, and there was not much of it m the house. The value of the furniture would be, he thought, abpnt £10. The house was built about seven and was of heart of totara ; ' the roof was bf shingles, and the leau-to was roofed with with iron. The house was the first one which had been built on that road. There were three rooms — a front room, a kitchen, and a room alongside the kitchen. The house was about 17 feet m front, by 28 feet m depth, he thought. The^front room was 17 feet by 15 feet, and the kitchen and the ether room 13 feet by 8 feet 6 inches each ; the lean-to being about the same as the kitchen and the room adjoining. The building cost between £20 and £30 for the, carpenter's work ; but he did not know the exact cost of the whole house. During the time witness had worked for Mr. Stewart, on the Tramway, he paid about £15 for timber, and £4 afterwards. Some time after he bought 2000 feet of timber from Richter, JSTannestad, and ' Co,, which cost about £12. Bricks were very dear at that time, but witness did not know exactly what they cost. There were about 1000 bricks m the chimney. As witness could : n t write, he did not know the exact value, •I' everything. There was no verandah,' no I.'1 .' any ornamentation about the house; neither was it painted. He did not consider. £80 was far off the value of the house. He thought the house was valued at £80. ; Mr. Staite : Would ypti have given £80 for the house? ' ' c ' 1 :V - '!,

A Juror (Mr. Robqrts) said he did net consider the question a fair one. > • Mr. Staite: objected to being .interrupted m that .manner: He strorigfy objected! to misconducting themselves. "■'.'■■• Witness, continued : The house, after; being built seven oi' eight years, wovild dcv teriorate iv value j but it was all built of heart of totara. When witness paid Mr. Pownall £1, that gentleman told him that the insurance would be a good thing* fort witness,;ahd also. for the Building Society, as! the insurance would be security f or >the; money which was lent. It' would be nq advantage to him to haye the insurance money-r-he would -as^soojr haye had;the house; but s^ill the £loo would be.beJ4ie» for him, he thought!- BT» "had borrowed £100 from - the '"Building Sbciety; ? and ha<i been paying into 'it f^qr about* t^ro years,' and had about two years more to pay. • He sttll, owed .the Building Society' about £60. If the Insurance CQmpaiiy..^'i'the;£Jooj i it ineyer entered' his (witness's)^ head whether he; would get the balance, from what he owe.d to the society; he did. not give the matter a thought. . "■'' " a A Juror .-: Aoid Mr. Pownall ask you the Value of the house before^he. insured it. ?> • Witness: No } 'sq fsir. is lean remember. I did not sigh. any' insurance paper.,. The; house, and land were both m the Building Society. •'; The/whole, fauuly'liY©^ In *h»! house up to the Monday morning before the fife took place, - A : , V >A'''\.AV ,v :- 'A . "• Maria Christiansen, wife, of- the' former; witness, deposed : She remembered 'Tuesday, the 25th of MarchA-the Hay the fire took place. About eleven o'clock : ih -'.the-' forenoon Mrs. Talstrojti 'and- witness" went to the new house to clean it out." Soon after her little girl, Dagny, came running but of J the kitchen of the old house, arid said tnire' was so much smoke Und fire she could not! see. Witness ran- down, apd .found th#' kitchen full of smoke. She caliefl [oh "•'MSj^'. Talstrom, and they both tried 'to get into" the, front room, b.ut could not enter/on' account of the sihoke. Mrs. Talstrom jthen v commenced to take .water from thp^ well,' and soon after a man named Lars Larsen rcame m, and the^carried* - roter''aiid put' the fire out. Theyremaihed a few minutes, and then 'witoess and^l^.T^sJTOm went back to the hew house ; but had oniy got to ■ tfia verandah when they saw the whole roof* in/flames. Witness ran : across tojMrJ Roberts',' and Mrs. Talstrom went back to; the. old house. When' witness got back man named'Teter Anderson and -,his .mate--; had arrived, and 'they carried': what th*yA could out of the house. There was nothing iv thei house except; two boxes containing" clothing,, a bedstead, and a cpiich< > When' witness went •' bfejek- ' fo'-^he , hejtffibnßei , , : ' tbe^ children were, left m tha* old'ohe, and she* told Dagny, the, eldfet, to lobk'after'them,: Witness had. put on. the; fire •for.; the dinner ,> before she left. She 'knew that her, husband! had borrowed £100 r MxLb did hot know how much the house insured'"' for, ''" When. the. house was firat on fire, and her attention had been called to it, the fire was betweenT whpre the bed was standing and a-.box; took she found the bed m flames.' ' There was 1 no fire-place, h. the -room occurred. The bedding washangingloufr-.' side, as was the usual custom, and there;' was nothing but a pillow and a blanket on' the bedstead. "After Lars Larsen helped! to 1 put the fire put, he went away,' telling them' it was all safe, and they remained a short., time after; "The children' did not go bacfc 1 into the house. The little girl took the. baby m her arms when- she first gave the; alarm. ' Witness, cpuld-not understand hp:nr the fire took, pj&ce the second time; There; . was ! Only a "very Bhort time! betyveen the two fire^A Th# front room, was lined and papered!; the." kitchen was lined, but .not j papere'dY and£thjsipther room was lined : dn ' two sides. '-'A "A, . ., --..- , ; 'j Vl: - :-AZA . ' ■;. To Mr. Staite.: .Whie^i; Larsen amved, witness and Mrs. 1 TaistrOm- were -m thet; kitchen, and they were both throwing water' on the fire. Larsen came m through the. kitchen'd'dor; he, edifld ixpt get m trapngh any other door. Larsen came of his own accord, fitness calleiirout -"..Fire,", and 1 called on Mrs. TabtieomZ. They both called: out "Fire," but' they ' did not seVany; person. The front was hot locked, aY the key was lost ;'" but it' was 'fastened by ■ means of a door handle front one side, with* the knob off '.at; th^ other,'' This, key vlras lost about three years ago. Witness did, not state to Mr. B6a!fdman" that shethad* tried for the key, and, could not find it. '■ The fire was. m theiroht room, where thej bed was. When-witless first actually Bftw ' the fire, she saw it from the Mtchefr, door" Mrs. Talstrom and witnesß were ?at >i .he: kitchen door, and both of them had been ' carrying waiter, when Lars Larsen cameA Larsen took the bedstead and the couch' out, and there was nothing left m the front room ; but there werje several articles m the kitchen. '■■ ' When the second : fire broke'bsl£the things were hi the kitchen; hut they, were not of . much value. When Roberta; anil -^ he' Ptheri came; the siecond- fire>.jra» burning m the roof :of. the front rpo^*^Mis. Talstrom and Larsen had' looked, Over ?the], house, and then Larsen wefljt away.A -Mrs;.' Talstrom remained behind. ' 'Witni»sA?iriis; positive that Mrs. Talstrom and herself had .put wateronto $ie. fire before Lars Larsen •had corned ; «..«.- ■'.'''■ A To the Jury : The children were kept m the kitchen? with the front room door open. 11 She. had seen! the hoy sometimes taking a; piece of fire-stick and- using it as ; apipe. She h^d ho' idea ho\y thefirehad/mginated,'unless the children had been playing' with' the fire. The day was very windy; the, kitchen door was open, and the wmdwaa* blowing m the door. The dooran the front ; room was opposite the fire-place,' and" a ' spark might haye.- been blown ,m. -\When,'' witness's husband, had borrowed th . inditey,!' she did. not remember' haying' seen Aanyv person from the JffuHdhigSpeie^ inspecting the plaice. ■■_■'■■.■•■■■.-. • ■_■>. ,y <% To the Coroner : A part of .the. bedstead^ and a pillow with some straw: m it. were^ partly burnt at'the first fire j and a'box was ' also partly burnt. ' "A To Mr. Staite! •" The little girl, had, the^: baby m her arms when she tigst called out' to witness, and the;boy came with them. Pisrina Matilda 'Talstrom v deppsecV'that she lived on' the terrace behind Christian^ sen's housed and came to; Cfiristianseh's" about ten o'clock oh the day of. the fire. - Witness was m the new-house a short time, when Dagny infphhed- her that- ; A&frs. ' Christiansen wanted her, and. when shef went down to the old house, tlie fire was in;' the bedstead, m the 'front! room. ' Witnesa; ran for.a pail of wajbjer to throw 'on it t bat she could nbt get m, as' the 'place was' full, of smoke, Witness helped MrsJChTistiah^eiy to take chau*3, crockery^ and sils from the kitchen, after th.c fire" was Piit.'. Witness stuffed her poc^ethandfeerchief inttf-! her mouth to prevent^, the ; smoke' choking her, and commenced to throi^ water oh' to the fire. When Lars Larsen ciitiae, he-broke; the front door opaiy and went 'jinto^ the ,' room. When witness, went, to ' the" .old." house, there was only Mrs. ' Cbris'tiahsen ~ and her children- thepe; Witness did not", hear the little girl calling 'her motherj wadZ when . she. (the witness) was galled she 7 " did, riot know for what pui^se until she went down." to the, old house; Site was ; told by Mrs: Christiansen, during .onQ. of the fires^' that, the house was insurtsd.. Witness asked-* Mrs. Christifinsen wheth*v the place Tvadc been insured ■; but she. did not tell witness!; for how much. Everything .was 'saved but* ofthehouse. : .AA : ••.■••* A". ■' To Mr. Stwte^iaxs^ Ohrisiiansei. wM.

butafde the bouse, and witness was inside, cleaning^tbe* window when the ... firej took placp. -^Witness did not see the. little girl coming to call her mother. Witness had been throwing water on to the fire .before Ijarsen caroe^but could .not throw-much, m jcjfnseqiuerice of the Brooke. When Larsen came, : . they were removing the- things out. The children>had been -ninriipg m and but previous to the' first fire. Larsen, had only lef t a Bhoi-t time when the $re ; 'broke out again. _. ATo Constable Gillespie j Mrs. Christiansen and witness left the old house together to go to the new pnp. The children were about the house, and. %> baby. was sleepnigin^he cradle m the kitch«n^when tlipy left -.W-tness remembered telling him (the x-onstable) andlffirAWaldegrave that tiie children were outside on the grass after the setiolid fire. Witness and Mrs. phristian^en \srenfe.to the new. house after Larsen ha! left.^. Mrs.. Christjansen went down once to the -old horisebefore the second fee tcofc p]j«?e, as the children-hadbeen crying ; and . Bbon-after..she. heard Mis. Christiansen crying out. In the meantime/ Mrs. Christiansen s came; back to :the new house, and was cleaning the windows. To the Jury f - Shecould not tell how long tf. tfas -between, the two fires. Mrs ChrisMi. u^nwto, away from the new house for a httleTvlule befoi-e the first fire, but witness did not know where she went to. She went m an, opposite direction to the old house. :. .'.- "-.■■; L.irs^Laraeni .settler,- residing at Stony Creek, deposed that on the day of thefire l.c was going;to'l>almer3ton with his dray. Some timeb^fore witness got- to Christiansen a, he ; saw smoke coming through the shmglw] of^ihp o Jd'%use: ■ Witness: saw Mrs Christiansto and Mrs.'Talstrom; carrying water m, and after H4 iiad gotabbut a •h . n past the gate' hp, B aw smoke coming m W the weatherboarid at! tW eb.d'of the butldmg,,and he ran into the house. When Cft'^rtS^^f Christiansen and *fe J^^foming out of the kitchen. Witne § B^ke4jtbe house was on fire, and termed A*W but that there wj& too ■WM"fß?*^'» w go'inside. Witness tried T*s Stfr-S R? fc hr|e tim^, but the smoke drpV£ te:baele oagahi0 agahi. "Witness managed to see .the. fire through tbe door leading from the kitchen into the front room, and he wenppundto the front door; which he found locked Witness asked Mra.' Ghristmnsenvfor* the-W, but she replied that it was inside, and she could not get m. Wit»W^per if she had hoVah axe, but she.rephed; "Do not break the door as jl \behevp if, the door, wae broken we Effi-5 P ' 0?t% 158llTan6 «. hioney," Mrs. Ot^istiatfsefti then went away, "and after she had gone, an Englishman, who -was with Witness, tned Jg burst the door ihwith his fo^t two or three 'times, but doiild not succeed. .Witness, then put his back to the 7*% .irai*?* They put about tenbuckets ofwater on the fire, which put it put, : ■ Afto* ] they^Kad th*o*m' some water on the fare, witness could see the bedstead, on $hm\tiitak i <wu some hay, arid also somp rags, burning. As soon as they got into ; the room, they pulled thejbedsteadand the couch outside... The papbr andsbrim on the rwaU were .burnt alongside where the bedhead ..had- been standing. After the fare ha.di been put out, witness went through the rooms; im&saw >. little shelf m a corner, on which, there' were some sparks. ; ¥nd he *° r Tv a A u P kc3fc , of water over it. Witness t^X x ■ r m mnt of thefire-piace; m whinh lite* were some embers,, and he put a bucjefr jpf - watpr, down. Witness' stopped S 6 f /4 OT? ?• fow min »tes after, but he told *™$ Vhiwtiafisen Abe- had to go to Palnier•tonjand to the mill, and that she had better Wfirfc^^of rwatejr by;! asthere were aomp shmgs.smonlde.ring outside the house. 4vf r Witness .hid got about half a mile *wi# .ho saflr flames burst through the Too^agam;'' '."".".;'", " ' <T $ Mf? Staite He d^ consider the house was worth £100. v A x Mr. StM^ti^jiid fre fir,? which was m the *r°^ 100k '^ i* was placed there 2 Witness : There -yas ■ sometniug.over the ?.«>'j*" d T* peraoh! was ihside with • himj lifted the serpen up, arid they put a bucket ofwater bh: ut ' Witness thought the tfire looked Astrarige .when- it broke out a £ecpnd turiaS -? f - ; ' -'■ ■'■?•*■-•* '- ■';---■. v T| Christiansen looked JUuajied when Witness came rip to the house. He ?rould riot sweat whethei*^heside bf the room was not smouldering when he left. JJSImW fepnt of the J fire-place, the Members vwere, did hot look as if i^ had beeny surnt;;that day. There were 'only embers -in' the^fii*e;iplace' ; there'" W not much wood burning. The wind mighthave blown ,the; sparks m the, corner, after the door had been opened.' ''* * •'* ,1 •?!' 's* W "suggested that the eldest chad.Dagmyi might be able to'throw •om^hjght^stp how the fireopcurred. .She called 1 in^ bufcasshe repbed -, Ye ? w> almost every question put to her, the Coipner- decided 1 that it was no good attempting tp take her evMence.i farmer/ residing at Stony V".%??P^Bed!'that he kriewvthe biylding whictf had been burnt. ' He thought the jalue; pf the .house was between £60 andi^7o. -The house would cost; he considered, about £90 to put it up seven years agOi;.^' '■■■. -yA ■ 5 ':''% ;':...*.. ■■. _.Cofastable Gillespie wished to call Mr. E. 9°VW& &P9&, the jurymen, to give evidence as tpVflie Ttjlae of the house ; but the Cbrofier; thought^ "yrduld be better not to take his evidence,, as he had not seen the house. Mr. Sfeite said'he would like 'to ask Constable Gillespie to give evidence as to the valuaof the house ; but that officer said he would ratKer not gire evidence. He thought Mr.vßoßertSj;whojvas on, the jurv,'afad who was a builder, could give 'evidence as to its value/ ' -: •.■'' • ".• ...V i Mr) Roberts -said be considered the jury were jonly, there, for the purposed mvestigat!^ h,6w the fire took place, and jjot to togurfe as to what was , the value of . the house. : -.'-.■•■■• -'•,«■ , ■ ■ .-. .»• '" the jury had evidently madw;* mistake, iri >he s . selection of their |orenjan, v .'■ :; '' ■;'.'■ '• .v ' r The. C6roriei?'?aid the .jiirymah who made that remark was laboring, under a mistake, for A'Tfe^Qj^pxtegi; for ariy of- them to giye,;evidence as to thevaiue { df the house, ds th^^lue ha^-spmefchirigvea^; material to &> with . the motive for 'a fire, which they gere 'there for tfie purpbse'of investigating. Ho then proceeded to suhi up the evidence, pointing put to the jury, that they'would flave'^a^ke, due allowance for the witnesses,, as they were not 'so well acquainted With -the lair as those who were born under the Ctonstltutiori of l&reat Britain? HeWftder^d a gheat Meal of blame rested with the lnsi^atice agents m .over-insuring buildings and, riot makirig v fchemseives sufliciently ac^trntedwith 'th'e.'-triie value of 'places insured. He was glad the f Pross w.-is taking the, riiatjer up, and he hoped 6( _ ,n £: r . c ™ rai \ wbiild b> ma'd'p m the manuer pr eftecting insurances.' ' ' ' -<v %' The jury, after deliberatipg a short time, returned a thilt tIW ihe was acc.-----f,"2l '' hnl - luUi^ the following rider:— lhat fchir; jury cou^dfe^Mr. Powiiall, who was then ;agpbt for the ijfcrf. 'fcoalarid' Insuran: c C« ? 'mp lv y } pfl .;alaD\iii*ft.i^er-«r'ti^ *lat.iw.itud ui.hl ing Societyi vv.'is nU'i usfciliod m accepting an ,hi|iiranee \># the : Ji3iwo £>r! so mu,;li above its value, *»■' proved to the jury, and without irup^ofcioni" A The. inyestigation ihen cjlosed, nftsr an *^W^%. theg^terporfcipn of % day.